These are reflections written in the midst of conversation about the astonishments of life as a Bahá'í. A collection of efforts to hear and answer beyond words the questions and responses of another soul - a vulnerable yet sincere epistolary seeking truth, hoping to resonate in this space with other yearnings and astonishments amidst our ever diverse and ever approximate responses to the immensity of life itself. It is humbly dedicated to the Universal House of Justice.

About Me

The Cloud Conferences will be the first Baha'i studies online conferences ever held.
At a time of global access to knowledge, Baha'i scholarship is being pursued in a wide variety of fields across the world. This vital service however is often limited by the logistical constraints of travelling to key conferences across the world, with the environmental impacts that entails.
Financial constraints can likewise impede the free, consultative flow of ideas for those who could otherwise greatly contribute to and benefit from such events.
The Cloud Conferences Baha'i Studies series seeks to overcome such access barriers, broaden exposure to, audience for, and participation in Baha'i studies, use the power of new media to dramatically expand the culture of Baha'i scholarship and systematically seek to build the capacity of Baha'i studies to contribute to the discourses of society.

Sunday, 29 November 2009

Another podcast. This is a recent lecture I gave in Cambridge University, on the matter of life after death. While reviewing the well-known fundamentals of the Baha'i perspective on the after-life, it goes further, to approach matters that I have seldom if ever seen addressed in the literature, namely, once we grant that the Baha'i teachings posit the survival of the soul after death, how do we answer the question of where exactly is the after-life? And what connection, if any, does it have to this life, beyond bringing it to fruition. Can we reach that world, or those worlds, in this life? Are we already there? And what does all this have to do with traditional notions of union with God, of nirvanna, of enlightenment? And can we take our dog?

Abdu'l Baha told someone who asked that their dog would be there IF THEY NEEDED IT. With all the realms of God before you what is the chance that you will need your dog? None really. It was a way of making someone happy without really committing to an afterlife for animals, it was quite clever actually.

The whole message is don't worry, nothing you really need will be missing and everything is in front of you. In more vernacular terms, don't sweat the small stuff.

OMG then to be fair we might have to bring along the Great White...maybe we might have to be lunch over there too. No not really,that irreplaceable dog love is a womb world beautiful thing.near impossible to understand from this perspective,hardwired with veils, can not see well in the half-light...but maybe if we could see we forfit our blind journey through the 7 valleys, farewell free will....no security but submission,face that Door at the right moment washed face and mumble His words...By the way were on the big screen there

,they (ancestors,etc) know us better than we know ourselves...no secerets as that world is mysterously patterened after this unbelievable all to short womb world experience.